Muslims in China are forced to 'eat pork and drink alcohol'

Muslims in China's far west region of Xinjiang are being forced to eat pork and drink alcohol at events during the country's Lunar New Year holiday, residents have said.

Residents in the Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture said they were invited to Chinese New Year dinners where pork and alcohol were served. Chinese officials threatened to send them to 're-education camps' if they refused to participate, according to a report by Radio Free Asia.

Photos sent to RFA also showed a Chinese official in Yining city visiting Muslim households and distributing raw pork on Monday, the eve of the Year of the Pig. People were also forced to display Chinese New Year decorations such as red lanterns and couplets outside their homes.

It is worth mentioning that both pork and alcohol are forbidden in Islam, and Chinese New Year is not usually celebrated by Muslims.